Chapter Text
It began when Shen Qingqiu brought a child with him to the meeting on Qiong Ding. It wasn’t uncommon for peak lords to bring their head disciple with them, or at least one they were considering for the position. But everyone had seen Ming Fan before.
This child was not Ming Fan.
Shen Qingqiu sat, his face as cold as usual, while the child took his place behind him. His expression was serious, but his face was far less severe than his… teacher’s? All activities had halted as they stared at what may be the newest soul to endure Shen Qingqiu’s tutelage. All around the room, out of the corners of their eyes and over raised teacups, they watched him.
“Are we going to commence, or not?” Shen Qingqiu said haughtily, as no one spoke upon seeing the unexpected guest.
“Ahem, yes. We should begin.” Yue Qingyuan said, though his eyes kept sliding back to the boy who was obediently listening from behind Shen Qingqiu’s seat. “But before we start, who is that you have with you? A new disciple?”
Liu Qingge let his shoulders relax slightly, as the Sect Leader asked the question they all had in their minds. Around the room, Liu Qingge noticed the piqued interest in most of the peak lords. The Sect Leader could ask and may actually receive an answer, while the rest of them were far likelier to simply be brushed off. Shen Qingqiu smiled widely, his expression serene.
“This? This is my son. Shen Yuan.”
Instantly, the reactions came in. Liu Qingge found himself staring. Qi Qingqi nearly dropped her tea, Shang Qinghua actually choked on his melon seeds, and Yue Qingyuan froze in place.
Silence fell upon them again. Shen Qingqiu simply kept his head held high, as usual. The alleged son remained impassive. The longer they looked at the pair, the more the resemblance between them shone. The same dark, serious eyes, the curve of the lips, as well as something in the nose, though Liu Qingge could see that the child would likely have a slightly softer look than his… father.
“Shidi’s… son? Shen Yuan?” Yue Qingyuan asked, slightly recovered, his blank expression returned to a genial smile, though a bit strained.
“I have taken him in as my newest disciple.” Shen Qingqiu announces again. “I hope you all welcome him to Cang Qiong warmly,” he said, with a poisonous look aimed around the room. There was an awkward pause.
“Ah- yes, it’s good to meet Shen-shixiong’s son.” Shang Qinghua said and laughed, clearly nervous, and Liu Qingge wondered if it was the father’s influence or if Shang Qinghua was actually intimidated by Shen Yuan as well. It wasn’t unfeasible. That coward had once been spooked by a disciple that was only fourteen years of age.
“It’s... kind of you to take in your bastard child.” Liu Qingge said, still suspicious at this development and the tension in the room spiked again, as people began preparing for Shen Qingqiu’s wrath. The rumors of Shen Qingqiu’s visits down to the city must be confirmed now, with the presence of an illegitimate son. To Shen Yuan’s credit, he didn’t even blink. Clearly, he must have thicker skin than his father did.
“Liu-shidi-” Yue Qingyuan said, in an attempt to mediate, but Shen Qingqiu spoke over the sect leader.
“Ah, Liu-shidi is mistaken. Shen Yuan is my legitimate child.” Shen Qingqiu corrected Liu Qingge with a smug look on his face.
“Legitimate?” asked Mu Qingfang, finally speaking, clearly picking up on what exactly that must imply. The room was silent as people digested the thought.
Yue Qingyuan had become a statue yet again, staring at Shen Yuan, who stared back at him, unbowed by the attention of the Sect Head.
“You’re married?” Liu Qingge asked though Shen Qingqiu had already answered the question in that roundabout way he seemed to love.
“Yes.” Shen Qingqiu said, clearly annoyed. He had been older than most when he came to the Sect. It wasn’t impossible for him to have been married at that age, though he certainly would’ve been considered young.
“I’ve never heard Shen-shixiong mention a family before.” Qi Qingqi said as she leaned forward in interest. She was across from Shen Qingqiu and was able to look at Shen Yuan quite directly. Yue Qingyuan had now pulled his eyes away from the child, to speak to Shen Qingqiu.
“Your in-laws-” he said, his voice a little strained.
“Were rather tragically killed. It isn’t much of a family. My wife and I don’t often communicate, we prefer to be separate these days.” Shen Qingqiu said, and then reached out a green-robed arm and wrapped it around Shen Yuan, pulling him a bit closer. “I’m afraid our son is the only thing we have in common.”
It was odd to see Shen Qingqiu of all people reach out to display his affection so blatantly. Shen Yuan didn’t even seem surprised to see his father being so gentle.
“I will be taking care of him, for now. It’s time he learned how to cultivate properly, but that’s not what this meeting is about. Let’s all focus, please.” Shen Qingqiu said, looking at the Sect Leader, who cleared his throat.
“For the next conference, the Temple has requested that we bring the emergency medical supplies.” Yue Qingyuan announced, but Liu Qingge could see that he was clearly still shaken from the revelation.
“Yuan-er, hand me my notes.” Shen Qingqiu requested and Shen Yuan quickly brought out the correct papers and handed them over. At the head of the table, Yue Qingyuan stared into nothingness, and Liu Qingge twitched at such a sweet form of address coming out of the mouth of Shen Qingqiu.
This was going to be a long meeting.
///
Shen Yuan had wanted to keep his head down. Being reborn into a cultivation setting? It was actually pretty cool! Being reborn into Proud Immortal Demon Way specifically? A bit less cool, but it wasn’t like he had to be a part of the absolute train wreck of a plot! Luo Binghe who? He could just live out his days traveling from city to city, working odd jobs and trying to find all the legendary beasts from the book. From a safe and respectful distance.
He very much did not want to run into Shen Qingqiu or go to Cang Qiong Mountain.
Unfortunately, fate was not with him. He’s simply a lowly side character, practically an NPC living in the protagonist’s world.
He was staying at a brothel when he met Shen Qingqiu, washing clothes and linens for room, board and some change to pick up supplies before he left the city again. The pay wasn’t great, but it was enough for him to live on if he spent conservatively. He had arrived in this world with no family, no name, and only a small amount of money all while stuck in a child’s body! It was truly miserable. Despite now being in a world with literal magic he was living in poverty! Who wanted to worry about the economic reality of a fantasy world?
It hadn’t taken him long to develop a system of living and working in the city for a few weeks, earning money doing simple though slightly distasteful work and getting necessities before traveling again. It really wasn’t a bad life, even if it could get tiresome from time to time. He was able to see the world freely and explore to his hearts content, without having to worry about commitments or appointments.
At least it wasn’t a bad life until Shen fucking Qingqiu had crossed his path. Shen Yuan had been washing clothes in a back room where several of the women would sometimes rest, out of the way of the sight of the customers. Here, he was minding his own business and working.
So why was a customer here?
“Ah, A-Yuan, there’s no need to panic, he’s not a regular customer,” said Dai-jie.
Yes, Shen Yuan was well aware that was no regular customer, that right there was a plot-relevant character. Dai-jie kept talking but Shen Yuan was too busy screaming internally to hear her, at least until she said something truly terrible, breaking him out of his thoughts.
“You even have the same family name, Shen, perhaps you’re related?” she mused.
“I have no family.” Shen Yuan had said, only to realize that Shen Qingqiu had said the exact same thing at the same time, but in a far more caustic manner.
Their eyes met, glaring at one another.
One of the sisters snorted, drawing the attention to herself instead. She covered her heavily painted face with a fan at their glares. “I’m sorry but it’s just too funny!” she said and started laughing, not the demure giggle that would typically be given to her customers, but a full-bodied laugh.
“I knew you two would get along well!” she said, pulling on her friend’s arm. “Wasn’t I right A-Dai?” Chang Dai nodded at the other girl. The two of them took a seat and Chang Dai began to remove her hairpieces as the other girl pulled out a comb.
Shen Yuan was offended. Him? Him and Shen Qingqiu? Him and Shen Qingqiu getting along?
“And how exactly am I like this brat?” Shen Qingqiu asked, now taking a seat, though not elegantly, like Shen Yuan had expected, instead put his feet up and popped all the knuckles on his hands as he leaned back.
“It must be something in the nose, or maybe the brow, you’re both rather sarcastic, and well, there’s your name after all. It’s such a shame. I was hoping there was a connection.” Chang Dai said and sighed.
The other girl nodded. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a family?” she said, longing, though she seemed to be giving Shen Qingqiu a pointed look.
“Lin Qing, no one expects someone like me to have a family.” Shen Qingqiu said and rolled his eyes, a gesture that seemed to clash with his fine clothing and straight posture. “At this point, it would just be a shock. Some of my marital siblings may even faint.”
It was at that moment that something changed in Shen Qingqiu’s eyes. There was a new consideration, a piqued interest
“What?” Shen Yuan asked, rather disrespectfully considering he was addressing a peak lord and he was just a poor orphan, but he didn’t care.
“You.” Shen Qingqiu said, staring at Shen Yuan. “You have an interest in cultivation don’t you?” he asked, though it was much more of a statement. “I can sense that you’ve been condensing your qi, though you have nothing even similar to a core formed.”
It was true. Listen, one didn’t get dropped in a fantasy world and then not take full advantage of that. It was just a bit harder than he expected to actually form a core without any real instruction. Shen Yuan said nothing, waiting for Shen Qingqiu to continue whatever it was he was getting at.
“Wouldn’t you like to learn cultivation at a real sect? All your meals provided for, a good learning environment, the word’s knowledge at your fingertips, stored in Qing Jing’s library.”
One of the girls looked excited. “See A-Yuan! That’s a great opportunity for you! Master Shen isn’t as bad as you thought, right?”
“Though naturally, not just anyone could join the sect at a time so far from selections, no, you would need a connection.” Shen Qingqiu said, examining his nails, avoiding looking at Shen Yuan, feigning disinterest. “If you were, say, my son, you would get in no questions asked.”
“Your son.” Shen Yuan stated. What?
So, Shen Qingqiu wanted to mess with his sect siblings? In the novel, it stated that he often had trouble with them, getting into conflicts almost constantly. The question was, did Shen Yuan want to get involved with the total shit show that Cang Qiong Mountain was?
“And?” Shen Yuan asked.
“And what?” Shen Qingqiu asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Just learning cultivation? A place on your peak? Is that enough? I heard that cultivation disciples eat terrible bland food and all sleep in dormitories together. When traveling I don’t have much money but I can eat whenever I want and no one bothers me.” Shen Yuan negotiated. Shen Qingqiu wanted to scam his sect with Shen Yuan as his tool? He had better sweeten the deal. Shen Yuan wasn’t a typical commoner with no knowledge of the cultivation world, he knew what privileges a regular disciple would be afforded and he knew that Shen Qingqiu could up the ante.
“Oh? Well, It wouldn’t do to have my son in the regular dorms, no, he would stay in the spare room of the peak lord’s residence. Some private tutoring, as well. More privacy, extra lessons, and I’m sure no one would question you if you were up during the late hours. All while just keeping up a simple ruse, I’m sure someone like you would have no trouble at all with it.”
It wasn’t actually a bad deal. The only ‘bad’ parts of it were Shen Qingqiu himself, and the future of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect. However, Shen Qingqiu could be reasoned with, and he was sure that this ruse would be over by the time of Luo Binghe’s fall into the abyss, let alone his return.
Really, this all seemed to be rather low effort on his part, so why wouldn’t he accept? It wasn’t like someone couldn’t leave a cultivation sect. He’d be out of there far before Luo Binghe’s return and Shen Qingqiu’s trial (and subsequent de-limbing).
Shen Yuan sighed. “Well, why not.”
The deal was struck in the backroom of the Red Flower Pavillion in the dark of night, and the next day, Shen Yuan, son of Shen Qingqiu was on Qing Jing, cleaned, polished and adorned in its soft green colors, introduced as it’s newest disciple.
///
It had been an exhausting morning for Shen Yuan. Shen Qingqiu had seen fit to 'properly educate' him so he wouldn't be an embarrassment compared to the other students. As Shen Qingqiu coldly instructed him, Shen Yuan Quietly repeated to himself what he was striving for.
Comfort! Good food! The library!
By noon he was considering making a run for it, but he knew that he had made an agreement of the scum of scum Shen Qingqiu of all people, and there was no telling what he’d do after he inevitably hunted Shen Yuan down.
At noon, they took a lunch break, the two of them eating in silence in the bamboo house.
“It would be best to instruct the other disciples this afternoon. It wouldn’t do to be accused of neglecting them in favor of my own instruction.” Shen Yuan suggested, keeping a straight and honest looking face. “Your dutiful son can study the books here.”
Shen Qingqiu was clearly aware that Shen Yuan was no white lotus, they wouldn’t be here if he was, but didn’t contest Shen Yuan’s suggestion.
“You’d best not slack off.” Shen Qingqiu said, the implied ‘if you know what’s good for you’ hung in the air. “I’ll be back later this afternoon.”
No more words were exchanged; after Shen Qingqiu finished his meal, he left in silence.
The second the door closed, Shen Yuan shot up and went to the study, pulling one of the larger books off the shelf, bringing it to what was now his room. Shen Yuan adjusted and fluffed his pillows, then laid back and began to leisurely read the bestiary. It was volume one of seven, complete with full illustrations of each creature and where they were frequently spotted. It brought a tear to his eye. It was perfect.
Then there was a knock at the door.
Shen Yuan frowned. Clearly, it wasn’t Shen Qingqiu, he wouldn’t knock on his own front door, and it likely wasn’t any disciple of Qing Jing, as they would all be busy now. Warily, Shen Yuan got out of bed and quietly set the book on the table in the living area, before going to the door to answer it.
He opened it, anxiously and Shen Yuan was greeted by the tall and refined figure of the Sect Leader. Shen Yuan stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure what to say. Yue Qingyuan also said nothing.
“...I’m afraid father isn’t here right now, Yue-shibo.” Shen Yuan finally said, after some deliberation.
Yue Qingyuan said nothing, only continuing to look at Shen Yuan. His face was placid but his eyes held a depth that unnerved Shen Yuan the longer he looked at them.
“...but Father will be back in a few hours.”
Yue Qingyuan said nothing.
“If Yue-shibo would like to wait here, shixi could prepare him some tea?” Shen Yuan offered, his tone questioning. Yue Qingyuan seemed to finally snap out of whatever trance he had been stuck in, and the corners of his mouth turned upwards.
“Tea would be lovely, thank you.” Yue Qingyuan nodded. Still unnerved, Shen Yuan stepped aside to let him in.
This wasn’t going to end well. Shen Yuan led Yue Qingyuan to the table and then busied himself in the kitchen. Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan could barely have a conversation with each other, Shen Yuan had now witnessed it firsthand at the meeting, he feared how much more severe it would get in a private setting, now that he had let the Sect Leader into his home.
On the other hand, it may keep his focus off of Shen Yuan’s education, so maybe it wasn’t so bad.
Shen Yuan brought Yue Qingyuan his tea, pouring him a cup, then one for himself. Yue Qingyuan politely took a sip.
It was still unbearably awkward.
“I apologize for my shock at the meeting yesterday.” Yue Qingyuan said, looking rather embarrassed. “It’s simply that none of us knew that you would be coming. That Qingqiu-shidi would bring. Well. That Qingqiu-shidi had a son.” Yue Qingyuan stumbled over his words. Then he appeared to realize that he had just told a child that his father never spoke of him at all and backtracked. “He’s a rather private man- I- I’m sure he’s very proud of you.”
Shen Yuan had nothing to say. He had actually respected Yue Qingyuan’s character back when he read the novel, but THIS was meant to be the same man?
Shen Qingqiu really shouldn’t be underestimated. Shen Yuan thought this would be too unbelievable but it seemed that Yue Qingyuan fully bought their bullshit. Shen Yuan was stuck in a mix of incredulity and horror. Then he realized he had to respond.
“I understand.” Shen Yuan said and smiled, trying to reassure Yue Qingyuan. “Father can be very secretive but I know that he loves me.”
Complete horse shit. Shen Yuan could feel the taste of the lies in his mouth as they rolled off his tongue.
“That’s good.” Yue Qingyuan said and Shen Yuan resisted the urge to grab Yue Qingyuan’s face with his hands and scream for him to not believe Shen Yuan.
“How old are you now?” Yue Qingyuan asked. Shen Yuan felt as if he were at some sort of family gathering where he kept having to repeat his age and how he was doing in school to each family member.
“Nearly sixteen.” Shen Yuan said. In truth, it was only an estimate since he wasn’t quite sure how old he was, but Shen Qingqiu hadn’t insisted on him saying any specific number in particular.
Yue Qingyuan looked pained. “Your father was very young when you were born then. Your mother-”
“Father doesn’t like to talk about the past.” Shen Yuan interrupted. Shen Qingqiu hadn’t said anything about his hypothetical mother to him at all despite clearly having some sort of plan in mind. The more Shen Yuan thought about it the more dread he felt. Despite it technically being a major plot point, Shen Qingqiu’s past and trial was mostly glossed over in favor of more scenes of Luo Binghe brutally torturing his old teacher and steamy scenes in Huan Hua Palace.
Something, something, Shen Qingqiu was adopted into a noble family and engaged to their daughter before he killed most of the family and burned the house down.
Was Shen Yuan meant to be born from that failed union? Beads of cold sweat formed on his back as he thought about some faceless woman appearing and exposing him as a fraud right when Shen Qingqiu was declared a murderer. Would Shen Yuan be considered an accomplice? He would just have to run before that. It would be years before any of that took place anyway, he’d be able to get out unscathed as long as he was careful, right?
Ignorant of Shen Yuan’s growing regret, Yue Qingyuan continued. “I know Qingqiu-shidi would prefer not to think of such things, as they must be painful, so I won’t say too much but if your father seems rather tense or antagonistic, I ask you to please forgive him.”
Forgive him? The person who was currently being completely duped as they spoke wanted this?
“Really, none of this is his fault. He-”
The door opened, without warning, and Shen Yuan and Yue Qingyuan looked up to see Shen Qingqiu standing in the doorway. As he made eye contact with Yue Qingyuan, the Sect Leader seemed to wilt from the intensity of his glare as Shen Qingqiu strode up to him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked sharply, staring down at the seated sect leader, his eyes filled with a cold anger.
“I just wanted to properly welcome Yuan-er to-” Yue Qingyuan explained, but was quickly interrupted.
“Don’t call him that!” snapped Shen Qingqiu, quickly walking to Shen Yuan’s side. He expected Shen Qingqiu to place his hands on Shen Yuan’s shoulders, he had done it before, but he did NOT expect Shen Qingqiu to actually pull Shen Yuan into his arms and clutch his face to his chest.
“Leave. You have no place here.” Shen Qingqiu told Yue Qingyuan, and the man hesitated, but left without another word. Shen Yuan could see his heartbroken expression from where his face was being smushed into Shen Qingqiu. The second the door closed, however, he was shoved away.
Shen Qingqiu refilled Yue Qingyuan’s half full cup of tea and began to drink, taking the seat where he had been sitting across from Shen Yuan.
“I knew he would come by any moment, it’s only a surprise that he managed to wait until the afternoon to investigate.” Shen Qingqiu said. “What did he say? He looked miserable when he left.”
Shen Yuan frowned at Shen Qingqiu’s glee. While at first this seemed like a petty prank, the pain that was in Yue Qingyuan’s eyes felt a bit too real for Shen Yuan’s comfort. Shen Qingqiu frowned at Shen Yuan’s clear discomfort.
“You better not be getting cold feet now.” Shen Qingqiu warned, coldly. “Trust me, this is nothing less than he deserves.”
Shen Yuan sighed, resigned to the fact that he really had made a bit of a deal with the devil here, and if he wanted to keep his reward he’d have to hand out the gritty details.
Sighing, Shen Yuan pushed his book to the side, disappointed, and began to recount the most awkward moment of his second life as Shen Qingqiu listened gleefully.
///
Shang Qinghua decided that he must finally be losing his mind. After literal years, this was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Shen Qingqiu with a child? He was pretty damn sure he never wrote that in the lost outline (may it rest in peace) so what exactly was going on? Did the system patch some sort of plot hole somewhere without his knowledge, or was this a completely random occurrence that happened when the characters he made were given free will?
It had come out of left field, something that made Shang Qinghua extremely uncomfortable. At the very least, he wasn’t the only one put off by it, even if it was for different reasons altogether.
Several of the peak lords were now gathered on An Ding (eating HIS melon seeds…) and sitting solemnly, still not quite computing.
“I don’t see how he’s married.” Liu Qingge broke the silence. “How? Who would marry someone so-”
Liu Qingge cut himself off, but it was clear that any number of words could be applied to the blank.
“Abrasive, disagreeable, harsh,” Mu Qingfang suggested, though his tone remained mild. “He did say that he didn’t get along with his wife, perhaps it was an arranged marriage.”
Shang Qinghua shoved melon seeds into his mouth to prevent himself from interrupting. It would be hard to explain how exactly he knew so much about their tight-lipped shixiong’s background. Arranged marriage? Who would arrange a marriage with a former slave? Shang Qinghua did some math in his head, something he had become practiced in during his second life. If Shen Qingqiu were in his early thirties right now and he joined the sect at seventeen, and if his son was about fifteen, then he would have been born around the time Shen Qingqiu entered Cang Qiong Mountain!
Shang Qinghua murmured to himself through his munching, “Fifteen years ago Shen-shixiong would’ve been around sixteen or seventeen.”
Qi Qingqi, sitting across from him, looked disgusted at how he spoke with his mouth full, but quickly switched gears.
“That’s quite young to get married and have a child.” She pointed out, clearly having some doubts to the veracity of Shen Qingqiu’s story, but not wanting to accuse him of lying and be rude without reason.
“Yes, but it would be less strange if his wife were older than him, rather than younger.” Shang Qinghua pointed out. There was a pause, where it was clear that many of the peak lords were picturing in their minds what the woman who would marry Shen Qingqiu might look like.
“I just can’t picture it.” Mu Qingfang confessed.
“Perhaps it’s easier to picture him as a father?” Qi Qingqi suggested, and despite the scene that he had caused yesterday with Shen Yuan, it was something that was difficult to think about. Shen Qingqiu was not affectionate. He wasn’t even friendly, which was why it was just so jarringly wrong to imagine.
“This is all wrong!” Shang Qinghua yelled, slamming his fist on the table. Shen Qingqiu, didn’t have a son! He was the author of this novel, no matter what any damn ‘system’ said, and he had made the rules and he said that man is NOT the father!
“I agree.” Liu Qingge said. YES, Liu-shidi, HE was the creator- wait what?
“Shen Qingqiu is trying to trick us.” Liu Qingge accused. “I won’t play along with his games.”
Shang Qinghua exhaled in relief. Yes, YES, that was much more in character for Liu Qingge.
“Liu-shixiong, accusing your Shixiong of such a thing will just create more bad blood between the two of you. You have no proof of this.” Mu Qingfang pointed out, gently. “Isn’t your relationship bad enough already? What if Shen Yuan is truly his child?”
“He is not!” Liu Qingge said, adamantly. He was now leaning forward, clearly incensed. His hand gripped the edge of Shang Qinghua’s wooden table, and was beginning to leave dents in the surface with the strength of his grip. Shang Qinghua made a mental note to bill him later for it.
“But Shidi, what if he is? Then you’ll have made your relationship with Shen-shixiong even worse and for what?” Qi Qingqi, pointed out, clearly trying to be reasonable.
“He is not and I’ll prove it!” Liu Qingge said, standing up and grabbing his sword from where it had been leaning.
“Yes, Liu-shidi!” Shang Qinghua encouraged. This was perfect. Liu Qingge could clear this whole thing up no problem at all, and Shang Qinghua wouldn’t have to accuse Shen Qingqiu of anything to his face! “Find the truth!” he said, his eyes bright with hope.
“Hm.” Liu Qingge scoffed, and took his leave. Shang Qinghua looked back to Mu Qingfang and Qi Qingqiu looking at him with displeased expressions. Qi Qingqi face palmed.
“Why do you have to encourage this?” she asked, clearly pissed off at him.
“Shen-shixiong and Liu-shidi can keep each other occupied and they’ll forget all about bothering the rest of us.” Shang Qinghua said, dismissing her anger. “Plus, who better to investigate! Liu-shidi is quite upstanding and if Shen-shixiong is truly up to no good, then the truth will out!” Shang Qinghua was really quite satisfied with this turn of events.
Qi Qingqi, however, was not. “Liu-shidi also doesn’t know when to stop!” she said, and sighed. “I suppose there’s no stopping him now, though.” she said, bitterly annoyed with him, then narrowed her eyes. “You know if this turns out badly, I’ll know exactly who to blame.”
“Relax, shimei! It’ll all turn out fine!” Shang Qinghua shoved another handful of melon seeds into his mouth. He was fully aware that if this went south, she could and would kick his ass, but he was prepared and he knew how to run.
Mu Qingfang simply stared at him with judgmental eyes, but Shang Qinghua remained confident.
Shen Yuan’s truth would be revealed soon.
///
///
Shen Yuan’s morning started when he opened his eyes to see Shen Qingqiu looming over him at the crack of dawn.
“Hnngh?” he asked, very eloquently.
“Get up.” Shen Qingqiu demanded and left the room. Shen Yuan sighed loudly, but rolled out of bed and got dressed as quickly as possible. His breakfast was on the table, but Shen Qingqiu’s was not, Shen Yuan decided that he must have eaten already, and did his best to shovel the food into his mouth as quickly as possible without choking.
Shen Qingqiu was waiting for him in the yard behind the house. “You’re ready now? Good,” he said, then pulled a sheathed sword out of his sleeve and held it out to Shen Yuan. “This will be your practice sword until you’re ready for one from Wan Jian. I went over early this morning to steal it for you.”
Shen Yuan decided not to ask Shen Qingqiu if he had actually literally stolen it, or if it was a figure of speech. He took it, and unsheathed the blade, admiring how it reflected the morning sun that streamed in softly from the window.
“I’ll drill the very basics into you, you’ll need to practice them daily until they become reflex. Most of the disciples about your age are already reasonably skilled. If it turns out that you’re a complete disaster at swordplay then you’ll have to start working on instruments as quickly as possible.” Shen Qingqiu explained. It was clear that he had been considering all of this for a while.
Shen Yuan was then taken outside and tormented nonstop, Shen Qingqiu only stopping the lesson hours later.
“Are we done?” Shen Yuan asked, trying to keep the hopeful tone out of his voice as he took heavy panting breaths and wiped the sweat from his brow.
Shen Qingqiu huffed. “Hardly. I’ll be back after I ensure that the other disciples aren’t burning the peak down. Keep practicing.”
Left alone, Shen Yuan repeated the lesson, not wanting Shen Qingqiu to get on his case for laziness when he came back. Really, it was a bit boring to do the same things over and over… Shen Yuan began to zone out.
Then he heard a bamboo branch snap in the silence, and Shen Yuan looked over at the sound to see a figure clad in white, pushing their way through the bamboo. Despite Shen Yuan only seeing him once before, he easily recognized Liu Qingge as he approached.
“Father isn’t here right now.” Shen Yuan said, swinging his sword in the way that Shen Qingqiu had shown him earlier. This was getting to be a bit tedious, the way everyone was showing up one by one to question Shen Qingqiu when he wasn’t there.
“I know,” said Liu Qingge, and Shen Yuan stopped to look over at Liu Qingge, straightening his posture.
“Can I help you, shishu?” Shen Yuan asked, tilting his head.
“Maybe not.” Liu Qingge said.
“Well, if Liu-shishu changes his mind then he can let me know.” Shen Yuan said, then returned to his sword work. Honestly! Why would he even come here then? It was no wonder that Shen Qingqiu was infuriated with everyone if this was what he had to deal with all the time.
“Your posture…” Liu Qingge trailed off and frowned.
“What about it, shishu?” Shen Yuan asked, face tight with annoyance. Liu Qingge was silent for a moment longer.
“It’s bad.” he summarized. Shen Yuan’s grip tightened on his sword.
“Well, since Shishu seems to have nothing else to do why doesn’t he teach me better?” Shen Yuan asked, his face forced into a polite smile.
Liu Qingge gave Shen Yuan a look that seemed slightly confused before giving direction. “Lift your other arm up more, you look sloppy.” Shen Yuan did as directed, before repeating the move that Shen Qingqiu had shown him.
“Bring it in closer to your body as you move.”
Shen Yuan did.
“No, relax your arm.” Liu Qingge said, beginning to sound irritated, which, in turn made Shen Yuan more pissed off.
“How do I make my arm tight but relax it at the same time? Shishu.” Shen Yuan snarked back, nearly forgetting the polite term of address.
Liu Qingge huffed and walked briskly over to Shen Yuan. “Like this.” he said, taking hold of Shen Yuan’s arm to move it to the correct position. “Now stop being so tense!” he scolded.
“I’m trying!” Shen Yuan said, pausing to take a deep breath before attempting the move again.
“Better.” It was all that Liu Qingge had to say to comment, so Shen Yuan moved on to the next thing that Shen Qingqiu had shown him. Even before he swung the practice blade, Liu Qingge stopped him.
“No,” he said, stepping up. “Move your left foot back more and straighten your right foot.” he directed Shen Yuan, as he put his hands on Shen Yuan’s shoulders and adjusting them so they were parallel to his hips.
“Ahem.” Someone cleared their throat, and Shen Yuan and Liu Qingge looked up at the same time to see Shen Qingqiu watching them, unimpressed.
“So, Liu-shidi, I see you’ve taken it upon yourself to teach my son for me.” Shen Qingqiu said, voice even as he walked over to them, but as he grabbed Shen Yuan and physically moved him away from Liu Qingge, Shen Yuan could feel exactly how tense his fingers were as they dug into him. “He doesn’t need any instruction but mine,” he said, pointedly. “Please don’t interrupt his studies unannounced.”
“If he’s only been taught by you then that explains why he’s doing so poorly.” Liu Qingge said, without any hint of restraint or propriety as he insulted Shen Qingqiu. Was he like this all of the time? Wow, he really was just asking to get murdered.
“He was doing fine until you showed up and started distracting him.” Shen Qingqiu said. “Taking it upon yourself to visit while I’m not here, perhaps you want to sabotage him outside of my supervision.”
“If anyone here is committing sabotage it’s his lackluster instructor. What is he even doing working on such basic-”
“Hey! It’s only my first day using a sword!” Shen Yuan protested, feeling insulted as he interrupted the two adults that had seemed to have forgotten him in their bickering.
“You’re only just now learning?” Liu Qingge asked, eyes narrowing and sliding back to Shen Qingqiu. “Even at your skill level, shouldn’t you have been teaching him at a younger age than this?” he asked. Shen Yuan’s heartbeat began to quicken. Had he messed up?
Shen Qingqiu seemed to redden slightly at the tips of his tears as he gritted his teeth, more focused on the fact that Liu Qingge was insulting him than he was on that it was Shen Yuan’s slip up that had triggered it.
“Mother didn’t want me learning swordplay so soon.” Shen Yuan interrupted before Shen Qingqiu could say anything more to escalate the situation. Luckily, his ‘father’ caught on quickly.
“Yes, not every family wants to arm their child at 5 years of age, Liu-shidi.” Shen Qingqiu said, smoothly backing up Shen Yuan’s lie. Liu Qingge had halted the moment Shen Yuan had said ‘mother’ so Shen Yuan decided to take this as a win.
“Thank you for your instruction, Liu-shishu.” Shen Yuan said, bowing his head. Next to him, Shen Qingqiu scoffed at the show of politeness.
“Hm.” Was all that Liu Qingge had to say before he turned away, leaving Qing Jing again.
“What was he even doing here?” Shen Qingqiu began to rant as he pulled out his fan, opened it, and walked several paces across the yard, fanning himself lightly. “Being a pest, that’s what. He doesn’t believe me- I mean, he shouldn’t, but to stick his nose into my business, who does he think he is?”
Shen Qingqiu paced angrily back and forth, and Shen Yuan merely made agreeing sounds and continued practicing as Shen Qingqiu complained.
“You.” Shen Qingqiu suddenly halted his speech, pointing his closed fan at Shen Yuan. “Good work back there.” He flicked open his fan again in a smooth movement. “I’m too irritated to continue now; take a break.” Shen Qingqiu said and sighed.
Shen Yuan was all too happy to hang the practice sword up and gleefully sheathed it as he followed Shen Qingqiu inside.